After four prolific seasons in Tulsa, Oral Roberts star guard Max Abmas submitted his name into the transfer portal Monday. As one of the top scorers in the country, the two-time Summit League Player of the Year should have no shortage of suitors. So, where will Abmas ultimately end up? While there is no legal Texas sports betting, BetTexas.com developed hypothetical odds in order to predict his next move.
These are the fits that stand out most for the Rockwall native.
Hypothetical Transfer Odds For Max Abmas
Baylor, Wichita State Lead The Way
Two programs immediately come to mind when sorting through Abmas’s options. To begin with, Baylor checks numerous boxes for factors that look to figure into his recruitment. If betting were legal, bettors would likely be clamoring to use a Texas sportsbook promo to wager on Abmas joining the Bears.
Not only do they offer him a chance to step up in competition while staying close to home (Waco is approximately a two-hour drive from Rockwall), but the Bears also run a guard-friendly offense and can offer him ample shots next year. With Adam Flagler likely gone, Keyonte George off to the NBA and LJ Cryer in the portal, Baylor looks set to replace its entire starting backcourt.
The Bears still have Langston Love on the roster and two blue chip freshmen guards coming in Ja’Kobe Walter and Miro Little, but Abmas would give them a proven No. 1 option to lead the squad.
The other team that jumps out the most for Abmas is Wichita State. His head coach at Oral Roberts, Paul Mills, took the Shockers job before Abmas decided to transfer, and he may wish to follow the man who recruited and developed him out of high school.
Joining Mills in Wichita would not give him quite the same level of competition as leaving for a power conference would, but the American is still far better than the Summit League. The Shockers roster is also in a state of flux, and Abmas would likely have a similar green light here as he did with Oral Roberts.
The opportunity is here for him to provide a steadying presence for Mills' transition while still vying for a fourth consecutive 20+ point per game season, this time against better opponents which could improve his stock with pro scouts.
There are no Texas sports betting apps, but Abmas will improve the national title odds of whichever program he lands with.
Bluebloods Will Get In The Mix
Expect Abmas to also be targeted by plenty of other big time schools given his pedigree, including several bluebloods. John Calipari has looked to the portal more the past couple of seasons to supplement Kentucky’s rosters, especially with added shooting.
The Wildcats are set to enroll three top 30 backcourt recruits in the fall, but pairing them with a veteran guard like Abmas would diversify their personnel. It is also unknown whether seniors Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick will return for a fifth season or not, making it critical for Kentucky to find alternatives to potentially replace their combined 9.9 3-point attempts per game. As a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter on 8.8 attempts per game, Abmas would instantly boost the Wildcats spacing while giving them an extra shot creator as well thanks to his ball-handling ability.
Another blueblood in need of an offensive boost, Kansas could end up losing three of its top four scorers. Gradey Dick has already announced he is entering the NBA Draft, while Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar may follow suit. Were all three to leave, the Jayhawks would be staring at a 44.9 points per game hole in their starting lineup.
Like Kentucky, Kansas signed three high level guard recruits, but Kansas traditionally relies on experience more than the Wildcats do, plus the Jayhawks prospects are rated slightly worse than Kentucky’s (Kentucky brought in guards ranked as the Nos. 3, 9 and 30 overall players in the class of 2023 per the 247Sports Composite, compared to 21, 37 and 101 for Kansas).
Abmas would slide in next to Dajuan Harris and give the Jayhawks a dynamic veteran backcourt as they seek yet another Big 12 title.
Other Texas Schools Make Sense, As Well
Also keep an eye on a couple more Lone Star State power conference programs in Abmas’s recruitment. Four of Texas’ top six scorers this season were fifth-year seniors who have exhausted their eligibility, leaving them in need of replacement production.
Additionally, sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter is testing the NBA waters, which would only further their need for a guard were he to remain in the draft. The Longhorns brought former McDonald’s All-American Arterio Morris off the bench this year and have 5-star guard AJ Johnson on the way, but still require significant depth to replicate how they operated in 2022-23. Texas ultimately hopes Hunter elects to return to Austin, but Abmas can function on or off ball, meaning he will be able to fit in with the Longhorns regardless of who ends up in the rotation with him were he to transfer there.
And finally, Texas A&M could have the perfect Abmas-sized hole in the roster if Tyrece Radford chooses to skip his extra COVID season. Third-leading scorer Dexter Dennis is already out of eligibility, and while the Aggies have some interesting internal options to replace him, absorbing the loss of two starters is a tougher ask from their bench pieces.
Abmas pairs naturally with breakout star Wade Taylor, which would create another formidable backcourt for coach Buzz Williams.
Abmas would bring a noticeable difference in efficiency to College Station too, as his true shooting percentage of 60.3% this season was eight percentage points higher than Radford’s 52.3% mark. Not to mention, Abmas’s high school teammate at Dallas Jesuit, Julius Marble, already plays at Texas A&M and has taken to Twitter to encourage Abmas to join him once again.
Be sure to check out our FanDuel Texas promo review once everything goes live in The Lone Star State.
